The Herald-Sun is proud to continue its tradition of honoring excellence on the football field by highlighting the accomplishments of the best high school players in the area. The 26 players chosen for the Herald-Sun All-Area team excelled at their positions. They all were previously lauded for their play by their own coaches and opposing coaches during all-conference deliberations.

Kendall Hinton is a leader on and off the field at Southern and his exploits as the Spartans' quarterback earned him the Herald-Sun Player of the Year honors.

Hinton, a two-year starter for Southern, led the Spartans to a 13-1 mark and to the third round of the 3-A state playoffs. The Spartans also earned back-to-back Big Eight championships under his leadership.

On the field, Hinton passed for 2,818 yards after completing 180 of 295 attempts. He threw 25 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Hinton also rushed for 933 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Southern coach Darius Robinson said Hinton's reach goes far beyond the football field, though. Hinton is involved in numerous community efforts and is a member of the Durham Youth Council.

2014 HERALD-SUN ALL-AREA FOOTBALL TEAM

The Herald-Sun is proud to continue its tradition of honoring excellence on the football field by highlighting the accomplishments of the best high school players in the area.

The 26 players chosen for the Herald-Sun All-Area team excelled at their positions. They all were previously lauded for their play by their own coaches and opposing coaches during all-conference deliberations.

Each was an all-conference performer at his position and some were selected as the player of the year in their conference. Four players got additional honors as they were selected to play in the Shrine Bowl.

Obviously, there were many, many more players who were considered for the All-Area team. The difference among those chosen and those not was miniscule and the competition was fierce.

Any player who began summer workouts in the blazing heat of August and made it through to the biting cold of November playoff nights should be proud of their accomplishments this season.

When the dust settled at the rugged 22-team Eagle Invitational wrestling tournament on Saturday, South Granville grappler Nathean Castillo was crowned the 113-pound champion. South Granville, with a 20-1 record one of the big surprises in North Carolina wrestling this season, finished sixth in the team standings. Orange finished third, with Joe Scott clinching the 138-pound title and Byron Stephenson rolling to the 285-pound championship.

Wells Fargo, along with the North Carolina School Athletic Association, on Wednesday announced the final standings in the Wells Fargo Conference Cup competitions for the 2014 fall sports season. Area leaders include Granville Central, Carrboro, N.C. School of Science & Mathematics, and East Chapel Hill.

When head coach John Hammet arrived at Granville Central four years ago, the Panthers were barely able to field a team as they stumbled to losing records. But two years later, the team is on its way to its second consecutive playoff appearance after stompingTar-Roanoke 1-A Conference rival Northwest Halifax 42-0 Friday night.

Reigning state champion Southern won the battle of the unbeatens Friday night, handing Orange its first loss of the season 27-23 en route to the Big Eight 3-A Conference championship and likely the No. 1 seed in the state 3-AA playoffs.

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